>> CATHY: A NEW DOCUMENTARY FILM MAKING ITS WAY ALONG THE FESTIVAL CIRCUIT IS COMING BACK TO THE TWIN CITIES.

CALLED "FINDING HER BEAT," THE FILM FOLLOWS AN INTERNATIONAL TROUPE OF PERFORMERS ATTEMPTING TO ORGANIZE AND STAGE A PERFORMANCE IN ST. PAUL JUST AS THE PANDEMIC BEGAN TO SPREAD.

IF THAT WASN'T COMPLICATED ENOUGH, THE PERFORMANCE WAS AN EXHIBITION OF TRADITIONAL JAPANESE TAIKO DRUMMING, WHICH HAS HISTORICALLY BEEN RESTRICTED TO ONLY MALE PERFORMERS, WHICH NO ONE IN THIS TROUPE IS.

>> I'VE ALWAYS WANTED TO PRODUCE AN ALL STAR CONCERT.

BRING THE BEST FEMALE TAIKO ARTISTS FROM JAPAN AND FROM NORTH AMERICA TOGETHER.

AND PUT WOMEN CENTER STAGE.

OKAY, WE'RE REALLY DOING THIS.

YEAH!

THERE ARE AMAZING FEMALE TAIKO PLAYERS, BUT THEY'RE KIND OF SCATTERED AND KIND OF WORK IN ISOLATION.

SO HAPPY YOU'RE HERE!

[ Cheers and applause ] >> I AM FROM SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA.

>> I'M FROM HAWAII.

>> TOKYO.

MY NAME IS MEGAN CHAO AND I AM A GUEST ARTIST TONIGHT.

>> AND MY WIFE.

>> IN COLLEGE, I DISCOVERED TAIKO.

IT'S THE THING THAT KEPT ME ALIVE.

>> IT'S THE IRST TIME THAT I FEEL FULLY SHOWING WHO I AM.

>> IT'S LIKE A 20 YEARS AGO DREAM.

>> AND YOU'RE ONE OF HE BEST PERFORMERS.

>> WELL, THANK YOU, MOTHER.

>> THE GOAL IS FOR YOUTH TO BE YOURSELF AND I WILL TRY TO WEAVE US TOGETHER FOR THE CONCERT.

>> TRUST ME, YOU'RE NOT GOING TO REGRET ANY OF THIS.

>> THIS KIND OF GATHERING HAS NOT HAPPENED BEFORE.

>> THAT IS ERY KEY.

>> THERE'S A LOT OF COMPETITION AND JOCKEYING, BUT WE'RE NOT SUPPOSED TO BE LIKE THAT BECAUSE WE'RE WOMEN AND WE SUPPORT EACH OTHER.

>> IT WAS LIKE A PRESSURE COOKER.

SO ALL YOUR TRIGGERS GET TRIGGERED.

>> REHEARSAL, REHEARSAL, CONCERT, WHAT AM I DOING?

>> THE TIME IS APPROACHING.

AND HOW ARE WE GOING TO HOLD THIS TOGETHER?

>> [ SPEAKING WORLD LANGUAGE ] >> WHY IS IT THAT WE THINK THAT WE DON'T BELONG.

WE DESERVE TO DO THIS WORK.

>> BREATHE TOGETHER.

YOU ARE POWER.

YOUR ENERGY.

YOUR LOVE.

TO OUR SOUND.

THEN IT WILL BE OUR BEAT.

>> OKAY.

LET'S DO IT.

[ DRUMS BEATING ] [ Cheers and applause ] >> Cathy: WOW, WOW!

JOINING US IS ONE OF THE TAIKO DRUMMERS AND PRODUCERS OF "FINDING HER BEAT," MEGAN CHAO SMITH.

HEY, GOOD TO HAVE YOU HERE.

>> GREAT TO BE HERE.

>> Cathy: HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE TAIKO TO SOMEONE WHO HAS NO IDEA.

>> WELL, I WOULD SAY, FIRST OF ALL, YOU FEEL IT THROUGH YOUR WHOLE BODY.

WE'LL OFTEN HAVE NEWBORN BABIES IN THE AUDIENCE, BUT THEY ALWAYS SLEEP.

SO THERE'S SOMETHING REALLY PRIMAL AND SOMETHING THAT REALLY, REALLY RESONATES THROUGH ALL THE LAYERS OF WHO WE ARE.

>> Cathy: AND IT COMES RIGHT THROUGH YOUR BODY.

YOU CAN ACTUALLY FEEL IT.

>> ABSOLUTELY, YEP.

>> Eric: HOW MUCH DID HE SHAKEUP, THE COMMUNITY, THE DRUMMING COMMUNITY?

THEY MUST HAVE BEEN STARTLED BY THIS?

>> YES, I THINK -- WELL, IT WAS INTERESTING BECAUSE WE DIDN'T PLAN ON COVID, AND THEN EVERYBODY HAD TO SHUT DOWN.

AND SO, YOU KNOW, THERE WAS A BIT OF A HIATUS, BUT THEN WHEN THE FILM CAME OUT, YES, WE DID SHAKE UP EVERYBODY.

AND >> Eric: BECAUSE THIS IS IS - TOTALLY MALE DOMINATED.

>> YES, TRADITIONALLY IN JAPAN FOR SURE AND SINCE THE 1970s, IT'S BEEN HAVING A GOOD LIFE HERE IN NORTH AMERICA, BUT A LOT OF THE PEOPLE IN THE FILM HAD BEEN FOR THE LAST 30 YEARS WORKING OFF TO THE SIDE AND PROHIBITED FROM BEING CENTER STAGE.

>> Cathy: REALLY?

SO REALLY TO HAVE YOU ALL TO THAT STAGE WAS REALLY AN EYE OPENER FOR MANY, MANY PEOPLE.

>> IT WAS A HUGE EYE OPENER AND THE SINGLE CHANCE FOR SOME OF THOSE PEOPLE TO GET THEIR LIFE'S WORK OUT.

>> Cathy: WOW!

SO HOW DID THE FILM COME ABOUT?

I MEAN, OF ALL THE SUBJECTS YOU COULD TALK ABOUT.

I MEAN, THIS IS AN AMAZING SUBJECT.

AND IT'S SO POWERFUL.

BUT HOW DID YOU ALL COALESCE?

>> MY WIFE, JEN, SHE'S A PRODUCER WITH TAIKO ARTS MIDWEST, HER COLLEGE BUDDY, DAWN MICHAELSON, THEY WENT OUT TO NOODLES AND KILOMETER AND JEN SAID WE'RE GOING TO HAVE THIS BIG EVENT AND PLEASE RECORD THE CONCERT BECAUSE WE DON'T WANT IT TO GO AWAY.

AND JEN WAS USITTING THERE AND SHE SAID, THIS IS A FEATURE FILL EAMENT.

WE STARTED FILM IN 2018 AND MANAGED TO ET THE ARTISTS HERE FROM ALL OVER THE WORLD.

>> Eric: WERE THERE SOME SHARP ELBOWS?

>> THERE WAS SOME SHARP ELBOWS.

THERE WERE SOME SHARP STICKS.

AND AS WOMEN, THERE'S THIS FALSE IDEA THAT WE ARE NOT CUT-THROAT, BUT WE ARE HUMAN LIKE EVERYBODY ELSE.

SO IT WAS ACROSS CULTURE, ACROSS LANGUAGES AND, YOU KNOW, A VERY LIMITED STAGE FOR ALL OF THESE PEOPLE.

SO IT WAS A PRESSURE COOKER.

>> Cathy: I DON'T EVEN KNOW EXACTLY HOW YOU GOT THIS ALL GOING DURING COVID.

I MEAN, HOW DID YOU DO THE REHEARSALS?

>> WELL, REDID THE REHERRALS ON THE RESIDENCY, BROUGHT EVERYBODY HERE BY PLANE.

AND THEN COVID STARTED HITTING.

BUT WITNESS DIDN'T KNOW THAT WAS HAPPENING BECAUSE WE WERE LIKE REHEARSING 24 HOURS A DAY.

AND IN THE FILM, THAT IS CAPTURED.

AND UNINTENTIONALLY BECAME A HUGE CHARACTER IN THE STORY.

AND THEN WHEN WE PERFORMED FEBRUARY 29TH, 2020, AND THEN EVERYTHING WENT DARK.

>> Cathy: GOT IT.

WOW.

>> Eric: SO FOLKS WANT TO SEE IT, IT'S PLAYING AT THE ST. ANTHONY THEATER IN MINNEAPOLIS.

>> YES, NOW CALLED THE MAIN CINEMA AND RUNNING THROUGH THE 26TH.

WE HAVE A HUGE COMMUNITY EVENT SUNDAY.

WE'RE GIVING UT MIMOSAS TO ANYONE WHO WEARS PRIDE GEAR.

>> Eric: THANKS FOR